Ten Songs
by Arrowsforever
Summary: Ten completely random SW short one-shots. Each one is inspired by a song I got from shuffling my Ipod. Contains OCs.
1. Sleep Song by Secret Garden

The Jedi order had fallen. Hundreds of Jedi, dead. Padawans. Younglings. Masters. Every age and every species. On every world. Dead.  
The fabric of the force was full of holes.  
A group of Jedi who had survived were meeting on a small moon of Dantooine.  
Shanti Stefan's heart felt like it had been run through and was bleeding all over the ground. So many were dead. Too many were gone.  
Master Mundi would never get after her for being sloppy in single lightsaber practice ever again. Bariss Offee would not laugh at Shanti's failed attempts at healing any more. Never again would Aayla Secura smile her infamous, flirtatious grin. Shanti would never again jump three feet in the air when Master Plo snuck up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders, or laugh when Stass Allie stole her meditation cushion. Never again would Luminara dazzle her with her beautiful smile. They were all dead. Gone.  
"Keep your eyes open, my dear," Shaak Ti said. "Look, there is Master Gallia and Master Choi. They survived. So did Olee Starstone, and Scout, and Master Potkin and Master Darté. It seems Master Fisto is alive as well, and Master Farr…"  
"Shanti! Shaak Ti!" the Padawan heard Adi Gallia speak and turned around to fling herself at the woman who had spent more hours than anyone could count trying and failing to teach Shanti how to pilot a star fighter. The teenage brown haired half human was sobbing. Adi pulled the girl who wouldn't be a girl for much longer close to her. Shaak gave in and let a few tears slip. She felt the agony of the losses just as much as everyone else. There were less than twenty Jedi here, most of them masters. She saw a few knights, like Sia-Lan Wezz, one Padawan, Scout, and one apprentice who should be a knight, Shanti, but that was it. Unless Starstone was not a master. Shaak didn't know.  
One last Jedi slipped into the compound. Keelyvine Reus. There were two council members, Shaak Ti and Adi Gallia. They had several senior masters, like Reus and Tsui Choi. But everyone was mourning. Not a Jedi here had not lost a Padawan, or a master, or a very close friend to order 66. Adi Gallia and Shanti still wept, each mourning the death of someone they loved more than the code permitted. Both Luminara and Mace Windu had been killed, and Shanti and Adi were broken hearted. In this room there was nothing but sadness, and a biting sense of loss. Shaak had to do something.  
"Everyone sit down where they stand, please," the Togruta said. She received many confused looks, but eventually everyone settled down.  
"I need everyone to close their eyes, please," she said. Shanti closed her brilliant green orbs, while Adi her smooth blue ones. Tears rolled down cheeks in every part of the room.  
"I am going to sing you a lullaby," Shaak Ti said. Her announcement was met with silence.

"I don't know how I feel about that," Olee Starstone said. "With all due respect, Master Ti, we aren't children."

"I am well aware of that," Shaak said. "Still, I feel that this is something important. Please close your eyes." Olee gave a huff, and then closed her orange eyes.

_"Lay down your head and I'll sing you a lullaby"_

Shaak Ti did not know where the words came from. Actually, she did. They come from deep within the force, which was thick in the room and curled around every Jedi like a blanket, or an embrace.

_"Back to the years of loo-li lai-lay"_

_'What in the name of the force is 'loo li lai lay'?' _She thought to herself as words spilled out of her mouth in a voice that was her own, but not.

_"And I'll sing you to sleep and I'll sing you tomorrow"_

Shanti had spread her cloak out on the ground and was laying down on her side on top of it, her eyes tightly closed as if trying to keep in more tears.

_"Bless you with love for the road that you go"_

Part of her didn't believe it, but that part had been overruled. She remembered Luminara's warm smile, Bariss's gentle healer hands, Master Plo's rough voice that would scare young Padawans at first, Master Mundi's quick thinking and sharp skills of analysis…it was almost too much. Why her? Why had she survived, instead of them?

_"May you sail far to the far fields of fortune"_

Adi Gallia was sitting with her legs crossed and hands resting on her knees. Tears were streaming down her cheeks.

_"With diamonds and pearls at your head and your feet"_

The dark skinned Corellian had thought she was strong. Thought that she was loyal, and a good friend. She should have gone with Mace, and Aayla, and Agen… Maybe if she had gone with them, and helped, they could have killed Sidious.

_"And may you need never to banish misfortune"_

Adi flinched as she felt a hand touch her cheek. The touch felt painfully familiar as it traveled up close to her ear, and knocked her headdress off. The hand traced her tears, wiping them away, only for them to be replaced by others.

_"May you find kindness in all that you meet"_

_'Mace, why did you have to go?' _ She thought.

_"May there always be angels to watch over you"_

In her mind's eye, partially hypnotized by Shaak's singing, Shanti saw many things. She saw the bravery with which her friends met their deaths. She saw them all, and she knew somewhere in her that they were not gone. But at the same time, they were. Luminara's body, abandoned to the weather on Kashyyyk. The sight nearly brought her to tears.

_"To guide you each step of the way"_

_'You're so stupid! Why did you have to go and leave me?'_

_"To guard you and keep you safe from all harm"_

Kit Fisto felt so ashamed. If he and Aayla hadn't decided to switch missions at the last minute, it would have been him going to face Sidious, and not her. She would have been on felucia, far safer than on Coruscant. The Nautolan had never cried before, not even when he was a young child. But now he felt the losses like a stinging, no, a crippling blow. If he had just chosen to stay on Coruscant…

_"Loo-li, loo-li, lai-lay"_

Shaak Ti was no longer singing alone.

_ "May you bring love and may you bring happiness"_

Her eyes opened, and with them, so did the Jedi mesmerized by her voice. The room was filled with faint images, outlines, of those who had been lost. Jai Maruk held Scout, his former Padawan, now without a master. The blue shape of Aayla Secura was beside Kit, wiping away his tears. Adi Gallia was shocked to find Mace Windu sitting beside her, stroking her cheek gently. Luminara kneeled beside Shanti, her blue eyes now containing a wisdom that came only with a young death.

_"Be loved in return to the end of your days"_

Shanti sat up slowly, her eyes brimming with tears. Shaak's mouth was closed, she was no longer singing. But that was alright, because those who had become one with the force had taken up her song. Her elders, her master, stood before her, singing, and the room vibrated with their voices and the force.

_"Now fall off to sleep, I'm not meaning to keep you"_

Master Cartiér placed her ghostly hand on Shaak's shoulder as the Togruta's former master pushed her gently to the ground, laying her head against the floor. It did not feel hard and cold, like metal should, but more like grass.

_"I'll just sit for a while and sing loo-li, lai-lay"_

Peace, a feeling that none of the Jedi had felt in years, had swept over the room as the dead held the living and wiped away their tears.

_"May there always be angels to watch over you"_

_'You must be brave,' _Master Cartiér said as Shaak looked at her with eyes full of wonder, like she was a Padawan once again instead of the powerful Jedi master. _'Your road is a hard and long one, but you will prosper.' _She touched Shaak's forehead in the traditional symbol of reassurance and love on her home planet.

_"To guide you each step of the way"_

_'Do not mourn,' _Luminara said. _'Just know that I am always with you, forever, even though you cannot see me, I am always here.' _Shanti's tears dripped off her chin. Luminara wiped them away, clearing her eyes with her olive skinned fingers.

_"To guard you and keep you safe from all harm"_

_'I know you can't see it now, but everything is going to be fine,' _Mace said as he gently replaced Adi's headdress. _'Trust me.'_

_"Loo-li, loo-li, lai-lay, loo-li, loo-li, lai-lay"_

And everything was still.


	2. Black Executor by Kurozumi-P

_ The saint who increased humanity and protected the weak_

She had seen the deepest despair. Below her all three of them were in chains, beaten and bruised. Two Jedi Masters and her best friend. She felt anger come in bubbles as their shuttle landed.

_ Haughty superiority; Smothered common sense_

Her best friends face was streaked with tears and mud. The force-suppressing collar reflected bright streaks of light into Shanti's eyes.

_ In a differentiated society, everyone has crazed eyes_

It took everything in the near-human not to cast off her disguise and save Luminara that moment.

_ Fastidious nervousness; full of contradictions_  
"Ah, Carté Lasmefoy and her student, I presume?" the slaver said.

_ Look at it, Justice that the street threw up_

Shaak Ti nodded from under her bounty hunter disguise. Through the force, Shanti could sense her master's disgust and anger, but she was hiding it quite well. If Master Kenobi, or Master Akshay, or Luminara recognized them, saving them would be difficult.

_ Is all that's left for us_  
"As you can see, we use only the finest technology to break our slaves." the cat-like zygerian demonstrated on a tall twi'lek who had disobeyed by whipping his lover.

_ What did the executor…_

Shanti clenched her fists. She could remain silent no longer.

_ …Of that judgment see?_  
"How do you know you are above these beings?" she asked quietly. The feline head swiveled to face her. He grinned a smug smirk.

_ Eyes that continued to let them die; For whom are you asking?_  
"You still have much to learn, little one. I know this because I have conquered them. If they were to conquer me, through wits, or strength, I would know they were above me."

_ One and everything will just disappear someday_

"No matter what trickery you use, always the one who comes out top excels in something the lower does not: Strength, intelligence, allies, firepower..." He pointed to a Togruta who looked about ready to collapse as if that sight would prove his point.

_ What does the executor…_  
And even though Shanti disagreed; hated him, for he tried to enslave her best friend, whipped and beaten her, the near-human could not find a flaw in his logic not attached to philosophy.

_ …Of that judgment know?_


	3. Amaranth by Nightwish

_ You believe but what you see_  
An olive colored humanoid flew across the room. Her lover screamed as she hit the wall with a crack. The brown haired woman strained against her chains.

_ You receive but what you give_

He laughed and flung Luminara again. The Miriilian had no fight left in her. _  
Caress the one, the Never Fading_

She stopped counting the broken bones. It wasn't worth it. She'd shut out Shanti's screams a long time ago.

_ Rain in your heart_  
She remembered the elders back on Mirial telling her of God, and that he would help her when she got into trouble. A faint smile played at her lips when she crashed into the wall once again and slid to the floor in a crumbled heap.

_ Does Jesus know my sorrow?_

She saw Sideious stroke the side of Shanti's face, but she didn't care anymore. She had been broken.

_ Caress the one, the hiding amaranth _  
A thin trail of blood trickled out of her mouth as she watched that man tear her lover's clothes.  
_ Where is your god now?_ She thought, her last thought before everything went black.  
_ In a land of the daybreak_


	4. Stones in the River by Carrie Newcomer

_So today I'll drop stones into the river._

I looked down at the dirty alleyway. It was scarcely lit by the moon, casting long shadows over the grimy ground. As we watched, two young Maixans ran into the alley. The girl was maybe four years younger than me. The boy was probably two years older. He slammed her against the wall and punched her in the face.

_And the current takes them out into forever._

"Give me all your money!" he demanded. She reached into her pocket and found something. She held it up to him.

_And the truth is most of us will never know,_

"I don't have any money...but you can have my lunch...I know you're starving..." he swatted the food out of her hand and stamped it into the ground, and then buried his knee in her stomach.

_Where our best intentions go._

My hands flew to my mouth.  
"Master Ti, we have to help her!" I said.  
"We cannot reveal ourselves yet, Padawan. You'll understand when your older, Luminara."

_And still I'll drop another stone._


	5. Those Fallen in God's Name by Kaoling

Before me I could see all those faces. Countless Force-sensitive's who were corrupted by the dark side. Who had been hurt and lost. Betrayed and mislead. Lied to and forgotten.

_One who is pampered is "not yet worthy," they say_

I could see in those paintings the flash of eyes, hunter eyes. I could hear screams and sobs. Tears glinted as they fell from face after face, catching the reflections of blood and red lightsabers.

_They look to the heavens and hold out their hands_

Dooku, broken hearted and tormented by all the things he had never done. His heart screamed as Anakin killed him. He had things left to do, people left to speak to, apologies left to say. Deep in his heart he felt perpetually a great, stabbing pain, one he hid better than any other sith.

_A tower is built by the ones who hesitate_

Maul, who had never truly had his eyes uncovered and allowed to see the light. He had been shrouded in darkness his entire life. He had never known his true potential for good, and that had left him feelings empty and broken in his last moments of life. He had never known anything but rage. After death, he realized that he had never truly lived.

_Losing the means to turn back_

Ventress, a scared little girl who hid behind angry tattoos and a frightening reputation. She terrified even herself, and hated herself. She saw in herself nothing but a cold blooded killer, and deep down, she knew she only a pawn in Dooku's game. She hid from what she knew was truth, convincing herself that Obi-Wan was lying when he said he could keep her safe should she return to the light. She surrounded her heart with a fence of spikes and impaled anyone who tried to get in, yet yearned for someone strong enough to break down that fence.

_One who knows not of starvation; one who collapses in the wind;_

I could see Sith I did not recognize, but I could feel their names.

_And even one who sees the "name" of god in ourselves..._

Darth Plageius, Sidious's master, who held inner fears that no one every truly cared for him. He was born only to be a servant. His mother was forced to bear him and his father treated him as a slave. They both hated him, as well as each other. What was someone born of such a union worth?

_"Pray for the one who hates rather than a friend nearby"_

Darth Phobos, hunted by everyone, who wanted nothing more than to lie down and rest. She hid this weakness inside a shell of insanity and cruelty, claiming that she walked the dark dreams of Sith and Jedi alike. Instead, the two lightsaber wielding organizations stalked her nightmares. Inside, the little girl that she truly was cried.

_And yet, both these hands will still protect my beloved_

Darth Zannah, a girl who was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. She had lost her closest friend right before her eyes after trying to defend her. She felt she had failed the one person who met anything to her, and who cared about her. Darkness and hatred was the only way she felt she could go, in order to never feel the pain of the loss of a loved one ever again.

_Soon my heart will be satisfied; singing the song of our children!_

So many hearts that many considered fallen, evil, or dark. The hate they felt from the Jedi, hell, from the entire republic, only contributed to their unhappiness.

_Words of returned love degenerate the "name" of god_

So many hearts in need of healing, and love. So many hearts denied.

_This tale is retold since the ends of the circle of time  
To everyone of the past  
Light must be equally shared_


	6. CrushCrushCrush by Paramore

_A/N:_

_1. This is a great song. Go listen to it. Now._

_2. It shouldn't be too hard to figure out who's P.O.V this is in, even though her name never gets said._

* * *

_I got a lot to say to you, yeah, I got a lot to say_

It was always someone else. Always. Actually, scratch that. It was always him or her. The perfect Padawans.

_I notice your eyes are always glued to me, you're keeping them here and it makes no sense at all_

The first two, the chosen ones. He was destined to save the universe. He could do no wrong in Master Kenobi's eyes, despite the fact that he was reckless and prideful. She was just a martyr, abused and beaten and _oh, that poor little thing_. She made me sick, the way she had Master Ti wrapped around her long fingers. They both looked down on me and never gave me the light of day.

_They taped over your mouth_

Master Koon told me that these feelings of hatred would destroy me. He said that I should let them go and be happy with my own achievements. It was the first time I had ever yelled at my own master. He made me meditate for three hours after we were done fighting.

_Scribbled out the truth with their lies_

Of course, when he went to the dark side, it would be her who killed him. She always had the glory, the main role.

_You little spies_

Of course, the one I wanted was enamored with her. Of course, she would completely disregard him and chase after Luminara, like she had her whole life.  
We, him and I, got the chance to spend time without that witch around while we were out looking for Xiam. And then I found him.

_They taped over your mouth, Scribbled out the truth with their lies_

He told me that he could help me make Boba Fett mine and give Shanti what she deserved, all in one quick swoop.

_You little spies_

I did what he asked. I cried when I killed Wone. He told me I would regret it. I did for a moments, until he told me what I could do to make Fett mine. And I did it, and it was true. I made up some shit about a perfect planet, even though we had never actually found Xiam. We were about halfway to the coordinates when I decided to change our plans.

_Crush,_

It was so perfect, those few months. That was how it should have been, just him and I, and people to serve us. And a powerful master I could learn from.

_Crush,_

"You are not my apprentice yet," He said. My heart dropped into my stomach. "You must fulfill your destiny and kill Stefan. Then, and only then, will you be my apprentice."

_ Crush,_

"I will do ask you say, Master Sinoccus," I said.

_Crush Crush Crush!_

"Good."

_Nothing compares to a quiet evening alone_  
I engaged her in battle. Just seeing her big green eyes again made me twice as determined to kill her. And I almost did. My attacks were relentless, ruthless. I could feel his pride, and that Boba was worried for me. At that time, he didn't care one speck about Shanti. The half-human meant nothing to him as long as I was there, because his mind was mine. _Mine._

_Just the one, two of us, who's counting on_

She asked about him and I told what I had done with pride. She was angry. But he was nothing more than a friend to her, and that was why I would get him. She would break his heart over and over, every time she kissed Luminara.

_That never happens; I guess I'm dreaming again_

I almost had her, almost. But now I can't deny she is stronger than me. Damn her doubled bladed saber. I was so wrapped up in the battle I forgot about the other end. Until it had ignited when our sabers were locked together, me inches from striking the killing blow, and amputated both my hands at the wrist. It took her barely any effort.

_ Let's be more than this._

She didn't want to hurt me. Why? I killed her friend. I tried to kill her wife. I destroyed Fett's mind. I led the Sith to their relatively peaceful planet. She had several chances to kill me, and she didn't. Now I realize that if she had been fighting to kill, I would not have landed a single blow on her. She was taken aback because I had been her ally, although reluctantly.

_They taped over your mouth, Scribbled out the truth with their lies_

I thought Sinoccus would let her take me prisoner, but he defended me. He took me back aboard his ship. He gave me new, bionic hands. He named me his apprentice.

_Crush,_

Like Zett said, I failed. So why did he let me become his apprentice? I don't know. And I won't look a gift bantha in the mouth. One day I will be strong enough to beat her.

_Crush,_

But I won't kill her. Not right away. First I will kill her children, and then Luminara. Then Shaak Ti. I'll make her watch. And then I'll kill her in the most painful way possible.

_Crush,_

And then I will truly be a Sith.

_Crush Crush Crush!_


	7. Empty Eyes by Within Temptation

_A/N: This is completely unrelated to anything I've ever written before. It's about a human female Padawan named Noirah Na, who survived order 66, but lost pretty much everything else. Originally she was going to take Zett's place in TGOL mainly because she was an order 66 survivor and in the actual movie, Zett is shot at the exit of the temple, but my little brother convinced me to put Zett in any way. So I sort of abandoned poor Noirah._

_Yes, she is an actual character. Go look her up._

_Lucas never says what happened to Na after Kai Hudorra took her lightsaber and told her she could never be a Jedi again. I wondered how a Padawan who lost their master to order 66 would deal with it. So I filled in the blanks._

* * *

_Don't laugh and run away_

I am alone. So alone. Everything is gone. He took my lightsaber, told me that I could no longer be a Jedi, and then left me. Even my training has begun to leave me. I'm not as strong in the force as I used to be. I went to Ilum and managed to steal a crystal, but I don't know how to make a lightsaber. I am just a Padawan.

_I'm onto you, yesterday_

What should I do?

_with empty eyes_

I asked myself this question daily. I had a small home on the planet of Nar Shadaa, a world broken with crime. No Jedi came looking for me.

_I don't know where I'm going_

On that fateful day, I thought Master Hudorra and I were the only ones left. Now I realize that when one Jedi cried out for the others to come with him and overthrow the empire, Master Hudorra and I weren't the only Jedi who stayed our hands.

_in search for answers_

Master Potkin had been there. So had Master Ti. And Master Arana. They had just watched him die. No. Watched him be murdered, on the steps of our temple. Our home.

_I don't know who I'm fighting_

Why?

_I stand with empty eyes_

I wanted to leave Nar Shadaa. I knew there are other Jedi in the galaxy, I just did. I wanted to find them, so we could make another stand against the empire. One day, when I had enough money to buy a fighter and can leave, I will. I'll find them. I'll unite them.

_You're like a ghost within me_

Or so I thought.

He found me instead. Darth Vader. I am-was- just a Padawan. He offered to take me in. To train me. I refused, and we fought.

_who's draining my life_

I didn't last very long. He cut my head off with an elegant sweep. But I got in several blocks and managed to cut the side of his helmet.

_It's like my soul is see through_

I am joined with force now. Why did he have to abandon me? Master Hudorra could have finished my training. I had more to do, more to say. I wasn't ready. But I don't have a choice now.

_Right through my empty eyes._


	8. I Don't Wanna Die from Hollywood Undead

_A/N: I don't even know how this song inspired...this. I don't even know. It's from the perspective of Sidious._

* * *

_I don't wanna die, I don't wanna die_

From the moment I saw her, I was fascinated. It was not love, no. I am incapable of love. It was more of a…a lust. A want, for everything that was her.

_I don't wanna die so you're gonna have to_

Yes, that was it. I knew she would always have eyes only for her fellow Jedi Luminara, and I did not blame her. Unduli was exotically beautiful, and powerful. It is only natural to be attracted to someone you perceive as stronger than you, and that was exactly how Shanti saw Luminara. I knew I was stronger than Shanti, yet I was still attracted to her.

_No I don't wanna die so you're gonna have to_

I took her, and shortly after I foresaw my own death at the hands of Shaak Ti, who was like a mother to Shanti. I could see Luminara leveling her deadly blue gaze on me, and she wouldn't rest until I was dead. I knew my fate was sealed when I saw the pure, unbridled rage in her crystal blue eyes.

_Blood is getting hotter, body's getting colder_

What they felt for each other was love, and it usually wins over lust in the end. I fought her blade to blade, but it was about much more than that. I wanted her because she was beautiful, and Luminara wanted her because she loved her. It was a fight to the death, and we both knew whoever came out victorious was the one who would claim Shanti.

_I told you once I'm the only one who holds her_

I hadn't wanted to die, and because of that, a part of me lived. My spirit moved on, and I watched, flabbergasted, as my dead body started moving again. Whatever part of me that lived wanted Shanti too. I was so proud when I saw the way she finally killed all of me. I wish I could have lived long enough to learn that technique.

_I don't wanna die, I don't wanna die_

Too bad. I watch my children, and I see potential in them all. Hopefully Swan can get her hands on at least one of them. Sinoccus is nothing. Just a weak Sith who hasn't truly given in to the darkness. But Swan, she had potential. Powerful potential. And hate. Sinoccus does not hate. That is what will be his downfall as a Sith. He is too calm, he has no strong emotions. I don't know what lies in store next for my lovely Jedi friends, but I know one thing: I will enjoy watching it.

_I don't wanna die so you're gonna have to_


	9. 10th Man Down by Nightwish

_A/N: Another darn good song._

* * *

_Today I killed, He was just a boy_

Gunfire. Explosions. We were backed into a corner, and they _just kept coming and coming…_We had been on the field for at least two hours already. How much more could I take?

_Eight before him, I knew them all_

"More ammo!" A clone screamed. "I need more amARRGH!" His cry was cut off when a blaster bullet shot through his heart. At least he did not suffer.

_In the fields a dying oath:_

Clones were falling left and right. I could not move fast enough to deflect every bolt, and save every life. Even Master Cartiér could not move fast enough.

_I'd kill them all to save my own_

It was too much, far too much…we would all die here, wouldn't we? He was coming, and he had killed so many Jedi in the past. Would we, only five Jedi masters and a tiny handful of still living clones, be able to stand up to him?

_Cut me free, Bleed with me, Oh no_

"We will have to, Shaak," Master Cartiér said as she deflected another bolt and destroyed another battle droid. They would not stop…they would not stop! They would never stop!

_One by one, We will fall, down down_

"Breath, Shaak," Adi said. "Just breath, and let the force flow."

_Pull the plug, End the pain,_

"But I can sense him! He is almost upon us!"

_Run'n fight for life_

"And we will take him on, or die trying," Ki-Adi-Mundi said. Another clone hit the floor. He was the last. The droids halted their assault suddenly, and he presented himself before us.

_Hold on tight_

General Grievous, four lightsabers taken from murdered Jedi at his belt. I saw Master Fisto's old padawan's saber among them. My heart clenched. I _would_ take it back.

_This ain't my fight_

"Jedi. You have held out here much longer than I expected, even after my battle droids killed one of your own."

_Deliver me from this war_

Yes, Master Richie. He had died a swift death, shot straight through the head. The horrors of war.

_It's not for me, it's because of you_

The droid general split his arms, and the fight began. I knew I was fighting for my life, because if I faltered for even one second, I would fall. His four arms moved completely separately, battling all five of us with ease.

_Devils instant my eternity_

Grievous suddenly focused on Master Jonthar. The tall Mon Calamari ducked and twisted, but he could not avoid four lightsabers at once. He hit the ground in three pieces, to a cry of 'No!' from Master Cartiér. Her hesitation was her downfall. Her head hit the ground before the pieces of Master Jonthar had stopped rolling.

_Obey to kill to save yourself_

"Master!" I cried, and Adi yanked me out of the way as I nearly suffered the same fate. Ki-Adi swiped at Grievous and took off one of his arms. The droid general snarled and attacked with the ferocity of a hundred Sith.

_Cut me free, _

"Master Ti! Master Mundi! Master Gallia!" A gunship swooped low over our heads, and the familiar faces of several Jedi appeared. Master Yoda. Master Windu. Plo Koon. Obi-Wan. His insolent apprentice. Jiam.

_Bleed with me, Oh no_

Grievous snarled once, something unintelligible in a language I did not know, and then retreated, leaving his droids to be cut up by the many whirring blades.

_One by one,_

But none of it mattered, because she was dead, and gone. Dead and gone. Master Cartiér was gone. I realized I had tears in my eyes as I knelt beside her body, still gushing blood all over everything.

_We will fall,_

"At least she lived long enough to finish your training, and even to see you become a master," Jiam said. He knelt down and put his hand on my shoulder. He had lost his first master to an illness that ravaged the Zabrak species and killed most Zabrak Jedi. Eeth Koth and Agen Kolar had been the lucky ones.

_down down_

"But she could never die…" I whispered. My own voice sounded alien, hoarse and tired. My clothes were stuck to my body with sweat. My eyelids were drooping, now that the rush of adrenaline and excitement from the battle was over.

_Pull the plug, End the pain, Run'n fight for life_

"Close your eyes, and sleep, Shaak," Jiam said. "It's alright."

_Hold on tight, this ain't my fight_


End file.
